The present invention relates to a cable tie installation tool and, more particularly, to an improved tool for tensioning and cutting of cable ties.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, cable ties (or straps) are used to bundle or secure a group of articles such as electrical wires or cables. Cable ties of conventional construction include a cable tie head and an elongate tail extending therefrom. The tail is wrapped around a bundle of articles and thereafter inserted through a passage in the head. The head of the cable tie typically supports a locking element which extends into the head passage and engages the body of the tail to secure the tail to the head.
In practice, the installer manually places the tie about the articles to be bundled, inserts the tail through the head passage and then manually tightens the tie about the bundle. At this point, a cable tie installation tool is used to tension the cable tie to a predetermined tension. One or more trigger strokes may be needed to sufficiently tension the tie depending upon how tightly the installer manually tensions such tie. Once the strap tension approaches the predetermined tension setting level, the tool severs the excess tail portion from the tie, i.e., that portion of the tail which extends beyond the head of the cable tie.
The tools of the prior art, although capable of tensioning and thereafter cutting the excess tail portion of the cable tie, typically have several disadvantages associated therewith which, either singularly or plurally, may lead to operator fatigue. For example, prior art installation tools are manufactured with a fixed-sized grip. As a result, an operator with a smaller hand must use the same tool as an operator with a larger hand. Thus, it is likely that neither operator will be comfortable with the grip size of the tool, such discomfort eventually leading to operator fatigue after numerous applications. Moreover, prior art tools are typically formed with the nose portion being angularly fixed with respect to the housing and trigger portions. As a result, the operator must often angularly manipulate the tool itself to tension cable ties which are installed in rotated orientations. This need to manipulate the tool forces the operator to install cable ties with the tool in an ergonomically unnatural and/or uncomfortable orientation, again leading to operator fatigue after numerous applications.
Additionally, prior art installation tools typically produce recoil shock and vibration upon the severing of the cable tie tail of the installed cable tie. This shock/vibration is transmitted back to the installer through the handle and/or trigger mechanism of the tool. The recoil shock/vibration also leads to fatigue of the installer during repeated use of the tool. In certain applications, the recoil shock/vibration could even lead to damage to the tool and/or injury to the installer. Finally, prior art installation tools typically include adjustable tensioning mechanisms which i) are difficult to adjust in that such mechanisms typically require plural turns of a tension adjusting screw to vary the tension setting in the tool, ii) are difficult to read during use, and/or iii) are susceptible to damage from dropping/jarring of the tool and exposure to dirt and other environmental conditions.
There is therefor a need in the art for an installation tool which limits and/or eliminates operator fatigue by 1) providing grip size adjustability, 2) providing angular nose adjustability to facilitate installation of cable ties in a variety of orientations with respect to the installer's work station, and 3) reducing and/or eliminating recoil shock/vibration experienced during severing of the cable tie tail from the installed cable tie. There is a further need in the art for a cable tie installation tool which provides rapid adjustability of the tension setting level, allows the installer to readily view the tension setting level and provides an adjustable tension setting mechanism which resists damage due to impact/jarring of the tool and exposure to dirt and other environmental conditions.